Chris Muldrow / Fredericksburg Today
The Rappahannock River flirted with its highest historical levels on Saturday.
As of 7 pm, the river was lapping into parking lots on Sophia Street. The City of Fredericksburg was towing cars from lots so they weren’t damaged by floodwaters, and much of Sophia Street was closed.
Sophia Street businesses like River Rock Outfitter were monitoring the river levels in case they needed to move inventory into upper floors.
Huge 50+ foot trees were seen floating down the river, with root balls attached–they had washed into the river from upstream.
The river reached 22.3 feet on May 1, but it had already broken 25 feet as of 7 Saturday. The USGS gauge said the river was pumping 70,200 cubic feet per second of water downstream–normally this time of year it’s closer to 1,300 CFS.
The highest recorded crest of the river was 42.60 feet in 1942. It’s not broken 25 feet since 1996.
